


Can't Sleep?

by MagdaTheMagpie



Series: Marvel & Magic [22]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 22:46:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16417466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagdaTheMagpie/pseuds/MagdaTheMagpie
Summary: Something keeps Steve up at night.





	Can't Sleep?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Marvelously Magical Bingo 2018!   
> Square G3: "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr Seuss

 

Steve tossed and turned in his bed. Everything was fine: he had found Bucky, there was no one out to get him or one of his teammates for a change, nor was there any invasion of aliens, sewer creatures or other man-made monsters eating the city and its inhabitants. Everything was just… fine. He flipped over on his stomach, but gave up trying to find sleep in  _ any _ position after another fifteen minutes, and threw his covers off himself to jump out of bed.

He blamed the serum.

He needed a lot less sleep than anyone else he knew, not counting Tony who actually  _ needed _ the sleep and just did without somehow. So, instead of wasting his time rolling in his sheets, Steve put on his gym clothes and headed down to rip apart a few new punching bags, hoping that would do the trick. 

Once there, however, he found the gym already occupied.

“Can't sleep?” he asked Natasha who was twisting her body in unnatural ways.

She paused with one leg hooked behind her neck, reaching forward to stretch her hands forward.

“Jetlagged. I just got back from India.”

“No trace of Bruce?”

She shook her head.

“What about you? I can set my watch by your schedule and you're usually sleeping at this hour. What’s up?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly and focused on wrapping his knuckles with the white tape. “Just… couldn't sleep. No reason.”

“Really? Didn't you have that date with Julie from accounting coming up? Are you nervous about going?”

Steve's shoulders sagged. She always knew where to hit, as if she had some I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it radar.

“It was tonight. Well, last night, I should say.”

“And it didn't go well?”

“It was horrible. Everything. It was awkward and she kept asking really embarrassing questions. I left as soon as I could and I sort of feel bad about it.”

“So that's why you can't sleep? Sounds like she deserved much worse than you cutting the date short.”

Steve shook his head. In for a penny…

“I went for a walk after that.”

Natasha stopped all her stretching, her limbs falling limply around her but her gaze sharp and focused on him.

“Something unusual happened,” he added.

“Well… it is New-York.”

Steve smiled at her, feeling more at ease. She was a lot like Sam in that aspect, except she made people talk to get information and blackmail material out of them, while Sam used his gift to help vets work through psychological trauma.

“I heard shouting, so I went to check if anyone needed my help, and there was this woman fighting off three men. I have no idea how, but by the time I got there, she had made them run off.”

“She seems interesting.”

“She is,” Steve said with a nod. “I got her to sit down for a bit because she was shaking, so I got to talk to her…”

Steve got lost in his memory: her long dark curls, her clever brown eyes, her porcelain skin and her enchanting accent, all wrapped in one tough little dame who could kick any man's butt to the kerb, or three as the case may be.

“And?” Natasha prompted. 

Steve looked at her. She probably wouldn't judge him. She was always trying to hook him up, and if he had a type of women he prefered, that wasn't his fault. It was pretty common, right?

“She was so much like Peggy,” he confessed, glancing down at his hands. “It was like meeting her again for the first time at boot camp. She put a bloke twice her size at her feet back then, you know? Punched him right in the guts. But… well, I realize it's weird for me to be interested in a woman just because she reminds me of someone else… and… I don't have any way to contact her anyway.” He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “I should just forget about her.”

“But you can't… That's why you can't sleep, isn't it? Who is she? Give me her name and I'll find her for you. I'll drag her in if I have to.”

“That's a bit over the top, Nat, but thanks. So… you don't think it's weird?”

Natasha  scoffed. 

“Of course not. So you like tough little brunettes, who cares? I'm just happy you're finally interested in someone who isn't  _ related _ to Peggy. Now  _ that _ was a bit creepy.”

Steve winced as he thought of Sharon, but he pushed that particular regret out of his mind. If he had known, he never would have started down that road.

“Are you going to give me her name now?” Natasha needled, bumping her shoulder against his arm.

“Only if you promise not to kidnap her.”

“Oh, alright, I promise.”

“Hermione Granger,” Steve said, the beautiful name conjuring the image of when she had shaken his hand with a blush before disappearing as mysteriously as she had appeared.

 


End file.
